Geography appears to have played an integral part in Justin Vernon's music. When Bon Iver's debut album was released in 2008, it told the story of a singer dealing with the break-up of his former band (DeYarmond Edison) and a relationship (presumably the titular ex of For Emma, Forever Ago). It was recorded in seclusion in Wisconsin, where Vernon could be alone, and the setting for the album would become as much a part of its story as the events that inspired its inception.

This time, Vernon has talked enthusiastically about another important location for the second album: a former veterinary practice in Wisconsin that he has rebuilt as a studio. "It's also only three miles from the house I grew up in," he says of his latest surroundings, "and just 10 minutes from the bar where my parents met." The location might have changed but musically, Bon Iver still has the layered harmonies that helped For Emma, Forever Ago become the Guardian's Readers Poll winner for best album in 2008.

• Bon Iver is out on Jagjaguwar/4AD on 21 June. Justin Vernon is interviewed by Laura Barton in the Guardian's Film&Music section on Friday 10 June.